Atlanta police have not located any victims after a shooting outside a Buckhead nightclub sent patrons running to a nearby gas station Monday morning.
Three of the patrons ended up at the Chevron station at the corner of Pharr Rad and Grandview Avenue, where they were placed in handcuffs and interviewed. Two were released at the scene, and the third was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for an injury not related to the shooting, according to police.
The three men are considered witnesses while their connection to the shooting is investigated, Atlanta police Sgt. Michael Young told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from the scene.
Damien Moore said he and his close friend, the man being treated at Grady, were innocent bystanders. They were at a club near Pharr and Peachtree roads when a fight broke out, which quickly escalated to gunfire.
“We were in the wrong place at the wrong time inside the club,” Moore said after being released from handcuffs at the Chevron. “He got hit by a swinging punch, a flying punch, literally, but it didn’t involve him at all.”
Moore could not remember the name of the club but said the gunfire sent him and his friend running. They hopped in their car and arrived at the gas station, where they were detained by police shortly after 7 a.m.
The shooting comes on the heels of a violent weekend in metro Atlanta. At least two people were killed, a woman shot Friday at an East Point recording studio and a man shot Sunday at a South Fulton Park, steps from an anti-violence event. Their names have not been released.
Five teenagers were shot Saturday night outside a downtown Atlanta Waffle House, and another shooting at a house party in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood sent a 16-year-old to a hospital. All six teenagers were said to be stable, according to Atlanta police.
Moore said he could find no blame in Monday’s shooting, because how a person responds to a threat of violence “that’s their problem.” He said he is a licensed gun owner, but he was not carrying a weapon inside the club.
“At the end of the day, though, it’s your duty to protect yourself at all times,” he said. “We’re in Georgia, you can get you a gun ... I don’t use my gun for violence, but if it’s a time of need, and I have to use it for violence, I will use it for violence.”
According to Young, no other victims have been located in the busy Buckhead nightlife district, and no gunshot victims have turned up at area hospitals. Police are still investigating.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
